Atlanta Braves

After a brutal 10-game road trip that saw the Atlanta Braves go 4-6 against the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks, they returned home to Turner Field and finally got back on track with an 8-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

We are about one quarter of the way through the MLB season with the Atlanta Braves clinging to a slim lead in the National League East.

After a blazing start, the Braves have come back down to earth against a rather difficult early schedule.

The Braves have yet to play a game with their full lineup and still have one of the more talented rosters in the National League.

The Atlanta Braves (16-9) have all but wrapped up the first month of the 2013 season.

Highs include a 10-game winning streak and a sweep of the National League East preseason favorite, Washington Nationals. The low point came over the weekend as the Detroit Tigers swept the Braves.The tough series with the Tigers knocked a few players' grades down a letter.

Braves right fielder Jason Heyward underwent appendectomy surgery on Monday night, and as a result the Braves will need to find a short-term replacement in their lineup.

The Atlanta Braves' sweep over the Washington Nationals over the weekend announced to the rest of baseball that the Braves are for real.

The series featured a thrilling comeback victory, a close, grind-it-out win and a dominating start that concluded in a blowout.

The starting rotation, bullpen and offense all had signature moments to signal that this is an all-around very good team.

Join in at 1 p.m. ET for coverage of the NL East battle between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals.

The 9-1 Atlanta Braves are without doubt the hottest team in Major League Baseball right now.

Not only are their bats on fire, but their pitching staff has been firing on all cylinders. 

Just take a look at their standout offensive players:

Freddie Freeman - .412/.474/.647, 7-for-17, 1 home run, 1 double, 7 RBI, 3 runs scored.

The Atlanta Braves' hot start to the season has received plenty of attention due to the offensive output of offseason acquisition Justin Upton and Evan Gattis, who has backed up the spring training hype with a strong start.

But on Friday night at Nationals Park, it was the role players who stepped up and made key plays in the Braves' 6-4 comeback win over the Nationals.